ACHIEVEMENTS

If one looks at Namibia landscape at independence, the percentage of access to potable water was between 43% to 45%. According to 2011 census this number has changed drastically. Above 60% of people in Rural Namibia have access to potable water while in urban area it is 98%. It took efforts to achieve these levels in order to fulfil the company’s mandate. On average 85% of the population in Namibia have access to clean water.

NamWater supplies water to the whole country in 14 Regions, urban and rural. Our people should appreciate the process of supplying water to them. Water flows because of resources invested in it and a dedicated team that plans and coordinates the implementation of the water supply process. NamWater often experiences complaints about the cost of water. What people have to realize is the fact that Namibia is a semi-arid country and water is not always available. Often, people settle where water sources are not available, so NamWater has to put up water pipes to transport water to where people live and pump the water to where the people are. The investment in water infrastructure and the cost of transporting water contribute significantly to the price that the Water Utility charges to the customers. Another factor is the economy of scale. Namibia is sparsely populated to such an extent that the numbers that contribute towards the economies of scale are just not there. Thus, unit costs are always high due to the small population. However, the NamWater Act makes provision for the shareholder to come on board and subsidize water for those who cannot afford it and this issue has already been discussed at Cabinet level. Another achievement lies in the quality of the water that NamWater supplies to the people. The quality of our water compares well with global standards. In Namibia one can drink water directly from the tap. This is not the case with many countries around the world.

Access to potable water:

• Urban 98%
• Rural 94%

Access to sanitation:

• National 34%
• 94% access to potable water in rural areas
• 98% for urban areas
• Financial sustainability of NamWater
• Investment in training
• Expansion of HRDC